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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

I'm in California this week to help my friend, Lea, make the final preparations for her wedding this weekend. In honor of this auspicious occasion, and because this is our last wedding of the season, I have decided to make this "Wedding Week" on the blog. Don't worry if you aren't a bride- or groom-to-be, however -- I'll try to make this week's post applicable to the soon-to-be-hitched, already-wed, and don't-believe-in-the-institution-of-marriage, alike. Read on, lovers.

Lea's wedding this weekend is going to feature a jazz trio during the dancing portion, but for the cocktail hour, we're just using an iPod to create a fun, festive mix of background music. And, in fact, I have long worked to create the perfect cocktail-party playlist that is diverse across genres and peppy enough to get the party going, without distracting from it. There is a fine line between songs that feel happily ambient and background and those that make you feel like you're in an elevator. But it's also important that the music encourage conversation and mingling, and not make you feel like you need to pay attention to it by bopping your head or singing along. Trust me, I've thought about this a lot, and it's easier said than done. So I view this weekend's festivities as a challenge and an opportunity. Here is a list of some tunes (about three hours' worth) that I think have what it takes. There's a little Big Band, a little Latin, a little Motown, and even a little fat Hawaiian Elvis. If they do their job, they will put you in a jubilant, outgoing mood, without you actually, you know, noticing them.